BRAZIL RECORDS LOWEST AMAZON DEFORESTATION SINCE 1988

Brazil’s government says deforestation in its Amazon region fell to the lowest level recorded since measurements began in 1988. Prodes satellite data puts forest clearance at 3,335 square kilometres in the year to July 2026, a fall of 41.8% from the previous year. The figures come before a presidential election run-off on 25 October between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula has pledged to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. “Our goal is to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030,” he wrote on X on Friday.

Data compiled by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research puts the Amazon figure 71.2% below its 2022 level. Pará accounted for 33.9% of the recorded clearance in 2026, followed by Mato Grosso at 25.5% and Amazonas at 15.7%. The figures show declines of more than 45% from the previous year in each of those states. Roraima recorded a 0.4% increase. In the neighbouring Cerrado savanna, government figures put clearance at 5,516 square kilometres, its lowest annual level since 2001.

Lula took office after Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, which ran from 2019 to 2022. During Jair Bolsonaro’s term, his government promoted mining on Indigenous land and cut resources for forest protection. Lula’s administration increased environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging. Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s son, has pledged to fight organised crime in the Amazon. About 60% of the Amazon rainforest lies in Brazil, making the country’s approach to forest clearance significant beyond its borders.